Wild Passions of a Mischievous Duchess

by Violet Hamers

  He must have seen the desire in her eyes, for he reached out then and took her hands, leading her to the couch. Her heart thudded in her chest with a tinge of fear mixed with anticipation. As adults, and engaged adults to be precise, they would not come under fire for being alone together without a chaperone. This was no clandestine tryst in a darkened library. And yet, Elizabeth had so few hours alone with him that even now her fingertips trembled to be so near him.

  “Stonehill feels empty without you. I hadn’t really noticed just how much the anticipation of passing you in the hallway brought light and excitement to my days there,” he said.

  “This was your idea,” she reminded him, chiding gently.

  “I know. And I do not regret it. It is a great relief to know that you are safe. I just miss you. That’s all.”

  Elizabeth laughed softly. She’d only been away for a few hours so far. She brought his fingertips to her lips and kissed them.

  “What have you been doing?” he asked pleasantly.

  “That’s just the thing,” she smiled. “I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve been reading, but I’ve got to figure out some way to pass the time here. I’m rather adrift with no student to think of all hours of the day. I may take up writing.”

  “Writing?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “Or something. I’m not sure yet.”

  Gerard laughed and kissed her forehead. Elizabeth leaned into the embrace, letting her eyes fall shut as he kissed her. “Well, whatever you decide to take up, do let me know what supplies you need. I want you to have everything you need or want, from now on.”

  Elizabeth chewed on her lip. “You are too generous,” she whispered.

  She saw his gaze dart from her eyes to her mouth for a moment and it suddenly struck her that there was no Dorothy here to interrupt. There would be no one from whom to hide her flushed cheeks or reddened lips. There was no reason why he shouldn’t kiss her.

  Or more.

  She put that titillating fear from her mind. He was a gentleman. Just because they were promised to be married did not mean that he would take liberties before it was proper. She’d let him know well enough the first time that she would not permit that sort of thing.

  Or would I?

  A shock like lightning went through her and a low, coiling sensation of heat tightened between her legs. It was just then that he reached for her, wrapping her in a kiss that parted her lips.

  Husband. Husband. Husband.

  The single word paraded through her mind, bringing with it a pleasure she could never have expected. The feeling of belonging that had been denied her whole life, was now hers. She belonged to this gentleman, now, in spirit if not yet by law. This gentleman who loved her. Who desired her.

  It was too much to bear. In that moment, as the warm brandy taste of his mouth enveloped her senses, she knew that her chastity was now entirely in his hands. She did not have the willpower to defend it herself.

  Marry me soon, Gerard. I cannot wait.

  “If I stay too late, Dorothy will give me that disapproving look when I return,” Gerard breathed, resting his forehead against hers.

  Elizabeth chuckled. “You’d better go.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I had better go…” but he did not get up. He tilted his head slightly to the side to kiss her once more. Elizabeth sighed against the kiss, lifting her hand to rest her fingertips on the side of his neck. She could feel his pulse. It was quick as hers, at least.

  When he broke away again, it was with more conviction. “I really must go.”

  “Of course,” she got up, resisting the urge to fan her face as she collected his hat and coat.

  “Goodnight, Elizabeth,” he said. There was something dark in his eyes. Something dangerous and thrilling.

  “Goodnight, Gerard.”

  His somber look broke into a boyish grin for a moment and he kissed the side of her temple.

  “When I came in, you didn’t ask who it was first. Make sure you know who is on the other side of the door before you open it, my love. You are not out of the woods yet.”

  Elizabeth nodded, taking his warning to heart.

  When he was gone, the room felt terribly dark and lonely. She rang for Rosie to refresh her fire and sat next to it for most of the night, staring into the dancing flames and waiting for sleep to overtake her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The following morning, Gerard was at the table with Bridget, Jonathan, and Thomas. Thomas, who often had eaten with Miss Peaton in the mornings, kicked his feet and looked pleased to be spoiled at the adults’ table.

  “I have business in town today,” Jonathan said, swallowing a mouthful of toast. “I can take Thomas with me again, but you must come up with a solution to our sudden absence of a governess.”

  “Sorry about that,” Gerard quipped.

  Jonathan winked at him. “As you should be.”

  “Actually, I was thinking of just asking Rosaline to stay with us until Thomas goes to school. She’s not a governess, but she is another pair of hands and watchful eyes. It would be enough help to tide us over until a good governess can be found. We’ve been so spoiled by Elizabeth. I don’t want to settle for whoever comes along.”

  “She’s already here most of the time anyway,” Jonathan said, and Gerard wondered if he detected a very slight tint of sarcasm in his tone.

  “Precisely.”

  Jonathan smiled and leaned over to kiss his wife’s cheek. “So be it.”

  It was only two days later that Rosaline arrived at Stonehill, like she did many mornings, only this time accompanied by several large trunks. Bridget and Gerard greeted her at the front door.

  “You’ll be staying in your usual guest room, of course,” Bridget said, ushering her inside.

  “Not the governess’ quarters?” Rosaline asked, laughing. “I’d been hoping that if I followed the pattern, I may finally be able to entrap myself a Duke.”

  She smiled over her shoulder at Gerard. He scoffed, scratching the back of his neck.

  “Ah, you misunderstand, Rosaline,” Bridget said, coming to his rescue. “Miss Peaton didn’t entrap Gerard. He entrapped her.”

  Gerard had meant to call on Detective Collins that day and work on the case, but when he arrived at the detective’s home, Detective Collins was out for the afternoon. He trudged back to Stonehill, feeling terribly useless. Now, without Elizabeth there to haunt the hallways, the estate felt large and empty to him. He felt more like a visitor who had overstayed his welcome than ever.

  “Oh, Gerard!” Rosaline called as he passed in front of the playroom. He’d been walking towards Elizabeth’s old room without realizing what he was doing.

  “Back from Detective Collins so soon?”

  “He wasn’t home,” Gerard grumbled as he stepped into the room. It seemed less bright now. Thomas had his toy soldiers lined up in rows and was quietly plotting out a battle.

  “Bridget is taking a nap,” Rosaline explained. She got up from the chair she’d been sitting on and got onto the floor next to Thomas, running her fingers through his hair.

  The boy stiffened, looking embarrassed.

  “Will you play with me, Uncle?” Thomas asked, looking up.

  “I…” Gerard was about to make an excuse, but he found that he had none. His instinct told him to seek out Elizabeth, but he did not want to pester her, either, by hanging around the inn too desperately.

  He’d been so concerned about her finding ways to occupy her time that he hadn’t given a thought to the same worry for himself.

  “Of course I will,” he answered Thomas, joining them on the floor as Thomas clued him in to his battle plans.

  “Did you play with toy soldiers as a boy, too, Gerard?” Rosaline asked after a time. She was fiddling with one of the toys.

  “All boys do,” Gerard answered. “You know, I sometimes forget that it wasn’t until we were a bit older that you and Bridget became friends. In my mind, it’s as though you’ve always been th
ere.”

  Gerard was reminded of what Detective Collins had uncovered about Rosaline’s past. In all those years, she’d never breathed a word to him that she was adopted. Perhaps it didn’t matter to her. Maybe she thought it trivial and not worth mentioning.

  He looked at her now through new eyes. It was shocking, in a way, to realize that the people he knew could have whole areas of their lives that were unknown to him. It almost hurt his pride, that she’d never thought to tell him this about herself.

  “Yes, I feel quite the same way,” she said pensively. “I’ve always felt so welcomed by your family. You don’t know what it’s meant to me.”

  Gerard’s eyes bolted up to her. Was she going to confess it then? He waited, but she merely chewed her bottom lip and looked down at the toys.

  Thomas filled in the silence with his commands, which Rosaline and he followed. Thomas’ battle was chaotic, but actually rather complex. Gerard was impressed, and for a while he found himself wholly engrossed in the child’s game.

  Rosaline groaned lightly as she rose back to her feet. “Oh dear, I’m too old to sit on the floor anymore,” she laughed.

  “Oh, Miss Peaton learned that much in the first week or so. After that she stayed in the chair while I played,” Thomas said, gathering up his soldiers and laying them neatly in their box.

  Gerard and Rosaline stood aside as Thomas busied himself.

  “I may not be much of a governess, but it is lovely to spend time with the boy. I…” she turned to him, taking a step closer. “I think you did the right thing in sending her away. Stonehill was such a warm place before all of this. It is good for everyone that things return to normal.”

  Gerard furrowed his brow. For him, having Elizabeth out of the manor while he remained to hover uselessly around the edges of a years-long investigation felt more unusual than ever. He was more agitated than ever.

  “I’m glad that you feel more comfortable,” he said, sounding rather stiff to his own ears.

  Rosaline reached out and touched his forearm. Gerard looked down at her hand. She had long, elegant fingers with meticulously trimmed nails and a pearl ring. Aristocratic hands.

  “This whole debacle must have been such a trial for you. It breaks everyone’s heart to see you suffering again,” she said.

  Gerard cleared his throat. This was just the sort of self-conscious pitying that he had so longed to avoid by staying away from London. Immediately, he wanted to get away. He thought of Hadminster, and the peace of the country.

  No, I must stay this time. See it through.

  “Meeting Miss Peaton has made it worth the trouble,” he said, pulling his arm away from her pitying touch.

  A knock came to the doorframe of the nursery and Gerard whirled around to see the kindly face of the butler.

  “A Mister Collins to see you in the sitting room, Your Grace,” the man said.

  Gerard jumped at the chance to get away and bowed shortly to Rosaline before following the butler downstairs. The detective was standing in the middle of the sitting room when he came in.

  “I must have just missed you, Your Grace. How rude of me, but you must forgive me being out when I knew you were coming this morning. I had urgent business. But anyway, here I am to return your call.” Detective Collins stepped forward.

  “Urgent business? To do with our case?” Gerard asked hopefully, ushering the detective to a couch.

  Detective Collins looked guilty as he sat down. “Oh, I’m afraid not. Another case has come up that I had to take on as well, though I assure you that yours is still of the utmost importance.”

  “Another case—?” Gerard’s heart sank. Whatever Detective Collins said to the contrary, he knew that the detective splitting his attention between two cases was not a good sign. “Have you been bored with my case?”

  Gerard could not keep the edge of annoyance out of his voice. He did not wish to give credence to the reputation he had gotten for himself for being cold and unkind, but he couldn’t help feeling slighted.

  “Not at all, Your Grace. Not at all. Your case fascinates me. However, there are less leads as time goes on. And, well, I must make money. Taking on a simple burglary case is just my way of making ends meet.”

  Gerard was far from comforted. In that moment of agitation, he longed for Elizabeth. The soothing touch of her hand could have calmed him.

  “Is there any new information?” Gerard asked. “I should tell you that we moved Elizab—Miss Peaton to the Queen’s Garden Inn downtown. No one but myself and the immediate family know where she is now.”

  Detective Collins nodded thoughtfully. “Good. Yes, good. Having her out of harm’s way is a wise move. While she is gone, try to notice if there are any changes in the house. Changes in behavior of the servants. Things like that.”

  Gerard felt his irritation spike again. He’d been carefully studying the manners of every person in that house since the poisoning and so far his efforts had been utterly fruitless.

  “Is that really the best we can do? Is there no other clue to study? Detective Collins…this is just like last time. Seven years ago. I suppose you are aware that Miss Peaton and I are engaged. How long must we wait, if we desire that this case be solved before we marry?” Gerard led his despair creep into his voice.

  “I cannot give a timetable, Your Grace. I can only assure you that I have not given up hope. But perhaps…perhaps a wedding and a move back to the country might be just what is needed to…set your mind at ease.”

  Gerard sighed, running his fingers through his black hair as he leaned back in his seat, kicking his legs out in front of him.

  “I must know who killed Christine. I proposed to Miss Peaton because I fell in love with her. But it is for that very reason that I must be certain that she will be safe when we are married. Do you really believe it was a servant?”

  Detective Collins exhaled thoughtfully. “My most persistent hunch is that someone here at Stonehill grew jealous of Miss Peaton for her involvement with you and her imminent promotion to Duchess. She seems to have been well-liked by the other staff here but one can never really know what goes on behind closed doors. I am attempting to sniff out a rivalry.”

  “But that doesn’t explain Christine. She was a wealthy lady in her own right,” Gerard countered.

  “Yes, that’s the rub. It seems impossible that the two could be wholly unrelated. But…all options are still open at this point in time.”

  Gerard sighed heavily again, standing up. Having the same conversation over and over again was doing nothing.

  “I’d like a standing appointment with you,” Gerard said over his shoulder. “Shall we say, every Monday afternoon. Here at Stonehill. I want you to bring along with you everything you have and we will look over it all afresh each week. During the week, I expect to be kept abreast of everything that you do in regards to this case. Every interview. Every hunch. I cannot retreat to Hadminster again. Not with Miss Peaton’s safety at stake.”

  “As you wish, Your Grace,” Detective Collins replied.

  “Thank you, Detective Collins.” Gerard said, turning around and ushering the man out. “Thank you for coming, but I must go and see Miss Peaton.”

  * * *

  Gerard nearly fell into Elizabeth’s arms when she opened her door to him. She was smiling, her hands flying instantly to his shoulders as he came in. It looked as though she had not been out of her room that day. She was dressed, but her hair was in a simple braid that fell over her shoulder rather than her typical knot at the nape of her neck.

  She looked softer, warmer than usual.

  “I’ve missed you,” she confided, burying her face against his neck. Her warm breath on his skin made his shoulders relax as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “Are you lonely?” he asked, knowing she would deny it. But it had to be different for her, with no child to take care of, no employers to keep happy. No friends to visit her. No family.

  She surprised him by nodding her head sli
ghtly. “I’m happy, really happy. But I do feel a bit…” she looked about the room.

  “A bit what?”

  “Unsettled,” she said at last.

  Gerard took her chin in his hand and studied her face, searching her eyes. There was devotion there, and love, but he sensed a growing feeling of guilt in himself. She had been content before he came to Stonehill. She had her work and her life as she knew it. It was a small life, yes. Obscure, but honest.

  And now? Now she had a room in an inn.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, cutting into his reverie.