Tempting the Duke

by Yasmine Nash

  She was scowling fiercely, but Louisa managed a nod.

  Jon knew it was the best thing to do, but even so, he still felt guilty. The vulnerability on Louisa’s face while they’d argued haunted him, and Mildred’s words about family rang in his head. He had been cruel to Louisa in some ways, punishing her for his own desire. He’d find a way to do something nice for her to make up for it.

  * * *

  Jon seemed content to leave the job of hiring a governess to his sister. For her part, Mildred did her best to keep Louisa informed on the progress, even reading aloud the letters of solicitation they’d received in response to their advertisement in the paper. In this way, Louisa was able to weed out the ones who sounded truly horrid, like the woman who only spoke to her charges in Italian or French to help them practice their languages.

  Or the one who swore by her ability to teach even the most unaccomplished young woman all the skills she would need to impress a gentleman, including watercolors, pianoforte playing, and embroidery. Louisa was not interested in being made pupil to some overeager governess or being scolded by an overly proper one for her lack of decorum.

  “Why do most of them sound as though they’re expecting small children?” Louisa asked Mildred grumpily after putting down another inquiry. They eventually settled (assuming His Grace would approve of their choice, of course) on a middle-aged woman older than Mildred whose last charges had finally all married and left the house. The woman, Mrs. Cassidy, didn’t seem to have any particular fixation on teaching anything, and in Louisa’s mind, that was already one large point in her favor.

  Chapter 6

  A few days later, Louisa still wasn’t pleased by Jon’s compromise, but there was nothing she could do about it. A governess was better than being sent away, she supposed, but it was still one more restriction on her freedom. Jon was never going to take her seriously if he continued to insist on treating her like a child.

  Louisa was no closer to making any progress on her scheme to seduce the duke than she had been on their journey to Devonshire. It was as though he’d put up a wall she couldn’t break down, no matter how she’d tried. Could it be that his feelings really had changed so much from the night they’d first met until now? Then, she had been sure he’d wanted her. She had felt it. Now, she felt nothing from him but coldness.

  Well, Louisa was fed up with Jonathan Wallbridge. He was a stubborn, unfeeling man. Louisa really had no idea how she could have confused him for otherwise.

  Why, exactly, she felt his lack of attention so sharply, she thought it best not to examine too closely. Instead, she made up her mind to go for a walk and let the fresh air clear her mind. The woods around the estate were spectacular, and she’d been coming out here more and more to explore them whenever she needed to think.

  Before she’d gone more than a few steps outside, however, a familiar whinny caught her notice. Surely not…?

  Louisa turned her head and there, right in the middle of the lawn, was Peppercorn, her gray mare. And there was Jon beside her, holding onto the horse’s reins. Louisa let out a small shout and ran to the horse, hugging her about the neck. She hadn’t seen her since leaving Haverton.

  “I didn’t realize you’d be awake this early,” Jon said awkwardly. “I had sent for one of the servants to fetch her from Haverton. She just arrived last night, but I had hoped to clean her up a little more before telling you.”

  Louisa ran her hands down Peppercorn’s neck, reacquainting herself with the animal. “She looks perfect,” Louisa declared. That the duke had been thinking of her enough to do something kind for her…the notion made her feel uncharacteristically shy. “Thank you,” she told Jon, forcing herself to look him in the eye. He met her hazel stare with his piercing blue one.

  Not for the first time, Louisa noticed how large and male he was. Intelligent blue eyes, a firm jaw, straight nose, and just the hint of stubble on his cheeks, dark like his hair. Perhaps it was because she had known them most of her life, but Louisa had never felt quite as aware of her male neighbors and friends as she did around Jonathan.

  “Shall we have a truce?” he asked her awkwardly. Not an apology, but perhaps it would be a new start. For both of them.

  She smiled broadly. “I’d like that. Very much.” Louisa reached out her right hand toward Jon. “Shake on it?” she asked, which made him chuckle, but he grasped her palm anyway.

  She’d nearly forgotten what his laugh sounded like, it had been so long since she’d heard it. As Jon’s hand shook hers, she felt tiny sparks buzz all around in the places his skin touched. She wondered if he felt the same thing, for it seemed that his grip lingered a little longer than necessary before releasing her.

  Peppercorn whinnied again, drawing Louisa’s attention back to the mare. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good ride,” she told Jon. “Perhaps you’d care to join me, Your Grace? You could give me a tour of the grounds. Mildred and I never make it far during our walks on foot.” She said this, thinking Jon would come up with some sort of excuse to avoid it, but to Louisa’s surprise, he agreed.

  Thinking now was probably not the right time to anger her guardian, Louisa opted for the sidesaddle, as much as she disliked the thing. Jon kept his horse to a sedate trot and Louisa mimicked him. Poor Peppercorn was out of shape from weeks of non-use, so any gallops would be out of the question for a while.

  The two rode side by side for several minutes in quiet, Louisa admiring the landscape around her. As usual, she was the one who broke the silence first.

  “The land truly is beautiful,” she said honestly. “Nothing could ever beat Haverton in my eyes, but this is a close second. Nothing but green hills and trees as far as the eye can see!”

  Jon smiled—he actually smiled!—and said, “High praise from you indeed, I know. I’m glad you approve. The view is part of the reason I prefer this estate, even though it’s not my grandest by far.”

  Louisa looked up in mild surprise. She had known the duke owned several estates, but this one was already so impressive. He must have been even wealthier than she’d realized if he possessed finer holdings than this.

  “My father loved it too. We spent part of every summer here,” Jon went on. “Perhaps that’s why it has a hold on me still.” Now Louisa was truly in shock. He had never volunteered so much personal information in the entire time she’d known him.

  “Your sister has said something very similar,” was all Louisa responded.

  Jon was silent for a few minutes more, the only sound the horses’ hooves clopping against the ground. Then he spoke again. “If you find this beautiful, you should see the seaside at Branscombe. It’s no more than 20 miles south from here. Picture the same landscape, but jutting against brilliant blue lapping waves. It’s spectacular.”

  It sounded remarkable. “I would dearly love to see that someday,” Louisa said wistfully. “I’ve never seen the sea before.”

  “Is that right? Then we shall have to make that happen. Branscombe is an easy morning’s ride from here. We could be there and back in time for supper. We’ll make a day out of it sometime.” He said this so casually, as if he often planned outings for Louisa’s amusement, and this was just another to add to his list. This man continued to surprise her.

  “I should like that,” she said, smiling at the duke and feeling oddly shy.

  They spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence. She found herself looking over at him often, trying to read his thoughts. Occasionally, he would match her gaze with a half-smile before turning his attention back to the landscape. Louisa simply could not figure him out, but she was growing more and more willing to try.

  * * *

  Louisa hadn’t forgotten her other plan, to seek out any information she could relating to the duke that she could wield over him. Since her seduction scheme was dead in the water right now, she might need to try harder with this second plan. The problem was she’d been happily spending so much time with Mildred that she hadn’t had much ext
ra time to poke around in Jon’s files. The few glimpses she had gotten of the papers in his study had been less than worthless.

  There had been nothing relating to the Haverton entail, nor even any interesting information of any sort. Correspondences with his tenants, mainly, and boring ones at that. And now with a governess coming to watch her every move like a hawk, there was little chance Louisa would have the opportunity to find what she needed.

  Plus, having had a few weeks to get to know Jon, she was beginning to realize how unlikely it was for a man of such intelligence and carefulness to leave anything lying around that might not be to his benefit. She would have to be even sneakier if she were to unearth anything useful.

  How difficult would it be to gain access to his rooms when he wasn’t there, she wondered to herself.

  If she were to sneak into his rooms, she’d have to time it when he was out. Luckily, even after they’d arrived at their tentative truce, Jon spent most of his time either cooped up in his study or outside, riding around to various meetings and engagements.

  It would be best to wait until Mildred had left as well though, otherwise Louisa might find it difficult to break away from her. The new governess, a Mrs. Cassidy, was slated to arrive later in the week, whereupon Mildred would take her leave. Until now, Louisa had been dreading Mildred’s departure, but this at least gave her one reason to look positively upon it.

  After their ride the other day, Louisa and Jon had seemed to come to an understanding. He was no longer treating her like a burden or an enemy. She welcomed this, despite the conflicting emotions it created. It made it all the more difficult to snoop around and spy on him. Things could never be the same as they had been before her parents’ passing, but perhaps Louisa could make a life here after all, and be happy with it, if she and Jon were friends.

  All the same, Louisa was surprised when Jon announced that he was inviting some neighbors of his over one evening after supper. Such solicitude was unlike what she’d grown to expect from him. In the weeks she’d been there, Jon had spent barely more than an hour at a time with Mildred and Louisa after dinner, usually abandoning the pair for another engagement with his steward or leaving them to work in his study. Even Mildred seemed a little taken aback. It seemed her brother did not socialize much with the neighbors.

  “I’ve come to the realization that I’ve been neglecting my charge,” he told the two of them in the drawing room. “A young lady needs entertainment and society. She cannot remain cooped up indoors like a hermit. That has been my fault, for I am not much fond of company, but I shall remedy that.” Louisa wasn’t sure whether to feel pleased with the attention or insulted by the comparison to a hermit.

  “Please don’t go to trouble on my account,” she told him and Mildred. “I have no great desire for company either. I’m perfectly satisfied as we are now.” It was true. Louisa had never needed to seek out company.

  Jon shook his head and crossed his long legs. “The problem with that plan is Mildred will be leaving us soon, and I cannot always be here. Business often forces me away to London at the last minute. I would prefer it if you had some friends.”

  Louisa opened her mouth to argue, partially just from habit, when Jon cleared his throat and went on. “Besides, it’s my responsibility to put you in the path of eligible men. Captain Brandon is unmarried. So is Jacob Pettyfer.”

  So. Jon was just trying to unload her on the first man who would take her off his hands? And all his kindness earlier, that blossom of friendship she had detected, was that just so he could put her at ease so she would be compliant? He had never stopped trying to get rid of her after all. Louisa felt her hackles rising at the very thought.

  Jon must have read at least some of this on her face, for he added hurriedly, “I’m not saying you must marry Captain Brandon. Or anyone else, at the moment. Only that it must be contemplated, eventually.”

  Mildred, ever the peacemaker, interjected now. “Well, I shall be very pleased to get to know Captain Brandon and Jacob Pettyfer and the rest of your neighbors a little better. Who else did you say is invited, Jon?”

  “Only Brandon, Pettyfer, and Pettyfer’s sister,” he said, still watching Louisa. “I figured Louisa would be more comfortable with a smaller party.”

  She huffed silently to herself but didn’t say anything. He was right about that, at least. Louisa had no interest being paraded around in front of a room full of strangers, who would gawk at her and offer false condolences while gossiping about her behind her back.

  Mildred frowned slightly. “I wish you had given me more warning than this, Jon. At least you didn’t invite them over supper, but as it is, I’ll still need to ask the cook to prepare something special for tea.”

  “No need,” her brother said. “I’ve spoken to Cook already. You forget, Mildred, I was running my own household before you came to visit, and I’ll be running it after you leave again.”

  His sister pursed her lips a little, as though she doubted the efficacy of that arrangement, but said nothing.

  * * *

  If Jon was being honest, he really wasn’t looking forward to the evening himself. He had never been a great fan of company. But he had meant what he’d said about wanting to be a good guardian to Louisa. He had neglected his duties when she’d first arrived, but since their ride together, it felt like the two had arrived at an understanding. An understanding which he hoped would withstand Louisa’s evident displeasure at the idea of being found a husband. Jon didn’t much care for the plan either, although he didn’t say as much to her. The thought of Louisa flirting with another man irritated Jon for reasons he didn’t care to examine too closely.

  As it turned out, Captain Brandon could not make it, but Mariella and Jacob Pettyfer arrived promptly the next evening. Jon, Louisa, and Mrs. Cassidy were all in the drawing room, listening to Mildred sing when their guests entered. The brother and sister already knew Mildred, of course, but Jon made introductions to the other two women. The Pettyfers were a remarkably handsome family, both with pale skin, pink cheeks, and full lips.

  “It has been far too long since we’ve last had the pleasure of meeting, Your Grace,” Mariella said as she plucked a strawberry from a tray on the table and held it up to her mouth. She had a slight smirk on her face as she stared at him.

  There was another reason Jon had not been keen on encouraging an acquaintance between their two households prior to this.

  He and Mariella had had a slight flirtation several years ago, when Jon had been younger and less discrete. It had petered out naturally when Jon had left for Oxford, but he had no desire to encourage her in thinking that he would be renewing his attentions. It seemed she might have other ideas in mind, judging by the way her gaze followed him.

  Well, he would worry about that later. For now, he would make good on his promise to socialize Louisa. “Mildred, didn’t you say you hoped to make up a table to play Speculation this evening?” he asked his sister once she’d finished her song.

  “I did. Miss Pettyfer, Mr. Pettyfer, if you both would be so kind as to join Louisa and me in a few rounds of cards?” Jon didn’t miss the scowl Louisa sent his way before she smoothed her features and took her seat next to Jacob.

  Mariella sat with the other three at the table, but her attention was still on Jon. “Will you not join us, Your Grace?”

  “It is kind of you to ask,” Jon said, “but I’m not fond of cards. I’ll happily watch, however.” Taking up a book, he positioned himself on a seat facing the card table.

  Louisa bent her head conspiratorially and said to Jacob and Mariella in a voice that still carried, “The duke never plays, if he can help it. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to play in months. I must thank you,” she said, with her characteristic mischievous twinkle in her eye.

  “Believe me,” Jacob said, staring Louisa boldly in the eye. “It is no sacrifice on my part that I get to spend time in your presence.” Louisa looked momentarily flustered. Her gaze strayed to Jon f
or a brief second, but he was assiduously pretending to read and did not notice.

  He did notice her happy giggle a few minutes later, however. “I win!” she declared triumphantly. “Hand over your fish,” she said, referring to their gambling tokens. Jon watched as Jacob Pettyfer placed his fish in Louisa’s outstretched hand, the man’s fingers deliberately maintaining contact against her palm. Jon attempted to redirect his attention to his reading, but before long, he had set the book aside and was watching the outcome of the game with interest.

  Or, to be more precise, he was watching Louisa’s interactions with Jacob Pettyfer with interest. Only because Jon wanted to be sure they behaved with propriety, of course. And if there was a howling monster in Jon’s chest, demanding to be let loose so Jon could punch that simpering Pettyfer in the face, well, that was only because Jon was protective of his ward. As any good guardian would be, of course.

  And if Jon glared at the man, rather than saying goodbye to him later on that evening, well, that was to be expected. He now recalled had never much liked Jacob Pettyfer anyway.

  Chapter 7

  By the time Mrs. Cassidy, the new governess was set to arrive, more than a month had already passed since Louisa had come to Devonshire. It seemed to trigger some sort of deadline in Mildred, for she declared she would be leaving them as soon as Mrs. Cassidy settled in. It was natural Mildred should wish to return to her own home, especially if her husband was missing his wife after a month apart, but Mildred didn’t quite meet Louisa’s eyes during the conversation. Therefore, Louisa once again got the impression that there was something more to the story than she knew.

  Louisa found herself dreading the new governess’s arrival, though she tried her best not to show it too noticeably, wary of Jon’s warning. It was just more evidence that her new guardian thought of her as a child. Even so, that was no reason not to attempt to charm the woman by making a good impression. And, Louisa thought wryly, she had the solace that nothing could be worse than her initial meeting with the duke had been.