Someday Her Duke Will Come

by Ellie St. Clair

  7

  T he ride was long and bumpy. And somewhat awkward .

  For all the life-changing discussions and decisions that had just been made in her parent’s sitting room, there was little depth to the conversation as they made the day-long journey to Warfield Village .

  Tillie sat next to the Dowager Duchess, who spent most of the journey dozing off and on. She smiled at Tillie, but didn’t make much effort at conversation, instead seeming somewhat wary of her. Tillie could understand that. She was probably questioning the motives of such a woman who would agree to fake a courtship with her son .

  Alexander was his usual charm and smiles, chatting away as he told her about Warfield, the village, his home, and the acquaintances she would soon be meeting at the holiday parties. He told her of the way the house was transformed during the Christmas season, and she smiled at his enthusiasm .

  She wanted to ask more about what was expected of her at Warfield, but the addition of his mother to the equation made it awkward, so Tillie bit her tongue and held her silence. Something felt amiss and she wasn’t sure what yet. All in good time, she reasoned to herself. Everything, Tillie reminded herself, comes to light in time .

  After a few hours she fell asleep herself and was bounced awake by a rather large rut in the road, causing her to smack her head against the side of the carriage she was sleeping on. Alexander reached out and made sure she was all right. Blinking herself back to life, she nodded at him, then looked out the window and took in the scenery, which had changed considerably during her nap .

  The rough stone homes were both charming and grand in their own way. They were large and well maintained, but they were also built for country life, to withstand the violent shifts in weather that the north was known for. Forests crept in on the idyllic village as they rolled through the center .

  “This is the village of Warfield,” Alexander said, jarring her from her thoughts. “The vicarage is just over there and the small array of shops just beyond that .”

  She followed where he pointed and was instantly charmed by it all. Such a far cry from the noisy, congested streets of London that she was accustomed to .

  Almost a half hour later, they arrived at the manor. At least, she assumed the nearly palatial home with the front gates and the immaculate gardens throughout was Warfield Manor .

  “Home sweet home,” Alexander said, with a grin at her wide-eyed expression. Her family had money, yes, but homes in London were not nearly as grand as the sprawling ancestral estates here in the country. Her father also chose to use most of his wealth to re-invest in his business. The peerage was an entirely different lifestyle .

  When they rolled to the front door, a bevy of servants filed out and waited for instructions as the women and the duke disembarked from the carriage .

  “Welcome home, Your Grace,” an older man with salt and pepper hair said with a deep bow .

  “Pickering,” Alexander said with a nod. “This is my fiancée, Miss Andrews. If you could show her to her rooms, that would be wonderful .”

  Alexander turned to Tillie .

  “Pickering is our steward. He will help you with anything you might need .”

  With that, Alexander left Tillie, a little stunned and disappointed, standing on the front steps with a line of house maids and butlers staring at her from the corners of their eyes .

  Recovering quickly, she turned and thanked Pickering, who had motioned for her to follow. They were met in the hallway by a woman who looked to be around Tillie’s age, with a shock of gorgeous red curls stuffed beneath a cap, a smattering of freckles, and bright green eyes .

  “Miss Andrews, this is Gemma. She has been assigned to you and will see to anything you might need,” Pickering gave her a slight bow and was gone, off in the direction that Alexander had strode away, likely with a million questions to ask. Tillie let out a small sigh .

  “Chin up, Matilda, dear,” the Dowager Duchess’ voice came from behind her. “Cannot go about looking defeated your first day. Assume the role and on with it you go .”

  Leticia was immediately helped by a steward who took her travel bags and followed her through the giant double doors. The line of servants followed the Landon family inside in a swift motion and just like that, Tillie was left standing in an unfamiliar doorway alone with her new maid .

  “Are ye unwell, Miss Andrews ?”

  She blinked and then turned toward the Scottish accent. Gemma’s face was kind and she seemed truly concerned .

  “I am quite well,” Tillie answered. “Just a little overwhelmed .”

  Gemma smiled sympathetically and motioned for Tillie to follow .

  “I’ll show ye to yer rooms and call up a bath for you,” she said kindly. “We’ll have ye back to yerself in time for dinner tonight .”

  To call Warfield Manor a house would be a serious understatement, Tillie mused as she moved through the massive entryway and took in the marbled floors, high ceilings, and candle sconces all over the walls. A castle would be better suited and it fit, as Alexander had mentioned on the ride over that it had been built to defend against roving armies centuries ago .

  From what she’d overheard and could see for herself, the place had at least four stories and a large attic. There was a giant underground cellar for wine and food storage that the Dowager Duchess had waxed on about during one of her more awake spells .

  The place was grander than anywhere Tillie had ever stayed and she was suddenly feeling very small. It certainly reiterated the difference between old money and new money, she thought to herself .

  Tillie’s chamber was as beautiful as the rest of the house. The bed was large and plush, covered in gold blankets and pillows. Curtains were drawn over large windows to keep out the afternoon sun, but some rays peeked in around the edges. The cream walls were covered in paintings of country landscapes, some, Tillie surmised, of the Warfield land surrounding them .

  As promised, Gemma had a bath drawn for her. She helped Tillie out of her travel dress and undid the pins that had kept her hair in place. Sinking down in the hot water felt magical and she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped. Gemma saw herself out and shut the door behind her, leaving Tillie in blessed silence .

  She was relaxing into the water with her eyes closed when she heard a stirring in the far corner .

  “I’m just leaving underclothes out for you, Miss,” Gemma’s voice called softly. “I’ll return before dinner to help with yer hair and the gown .”

  “Thank you,” Tillie called without opening her eyes. The warm water was a balm to her sore muscles and she drifted along, enjoying the moment to herself as she undid the day’s journey from her body and her mind .

  She sighed and dipped her head under the water. Tillie had always loved the feeling of being submerged under the water. She felt free and away from the daily demands down there .

  When she slowly resurfaced, she wiped at her eyes, smiling .

  “Are you part fish, Miss Andrews?” A different voice said from a corner much closer to her. “I dare say I have never seen a human stay beneath the water so long. I nearly thought I would have to rescue you .”

  Her eyes flashed open to reveal Alexander slouched against a slightly open doorway she hadn’t seen when she first arrived. Letting out a squeak of rage and protest, she dashed lower in the water and covered her bare chest with her arms .

  “What do you think you are doing?” She hissed at the duke. “Are you out of your mind ?”

  His smirk was back as he shut the door — hidden in the wall she realized — and crossed the room, sitting down on the floor and leaning back against the bed. They were eye level now, but he was a respectful enough distance away that seeing any parts of her was unlikely. Still, it was awkward for Tillie and she wrapped her arms around herself even tighter .

  “Are you comfortable here?” He asked, as though walking in on a woman’s bath was quite natural .

  She frowned at him, baffled at the question .
r />   “Well,” she said, eyeing him suspiciously. “I was .”

  Alexander sucked in a breath and looked toward the ceiling .

  “She sent a letter to me earlier this week, Tillie,” he said, the conversation quickly changing course, his voice dripping with self pity. The use of her nickname also jarred her. He seemed well and truly upset and this letter from his former love was clearly bothering him .

  She chewed her lower lip, wishing more than anything that she could at least get out of the tub and find a robe to wrap herself in. But Alexander seemed to have a lot he needed to say, and didn’t seem in a hurry to say it. She remained still and tried not to move .

  “There was not much to it,” he continued, his hand going through his hair. “But she was warm and friendly and I know she is just trying to reach out to keep a hook in me somehow. If she wanted to reunite with me, she could have easily found me over the past two years. But she knows that we are hosting the upcoming celebrations and she wants to make certain that she is the center of everyone’s attentions during them — even mine .”

  Tillie splashed a little water with her toe .

  “If you do not mind me asking,” she began, a little quietly as she was still fairly uncomfortable with the entire conversation taking place in the bathing room. “Why did your romance end? Was there some misunderstanding ?”

  Alexander gave a slow, weak smile. He seemed sad .

  “Eliza is beautiful and very smart,” he said. “She has been raised to be the flower of everyone’s eye and to expect nothing but the best from life. And so, for a brief moment, I must have been the best option around. I was inheriting a title, a small fortune that would sustain me and whatever family I might have for the future as long as I was smart about it, and I like to think that I am reasonably good looking. So I was it for Eliza. She made that clear. And when she had my attention, she had it wholeheartedly. Completely. I was beyond smitten with her .”

  He paused, taking a slow breath. Despite everything else, her heart hurt for him. And, she had to admit to herself, she was a little jealous of a woman who could so completely capture the love of a man like Alexander .

  “But there is always something better on the horizon and he entered into our social circle by happenstance,” Alexander continued. “A duke, like me, but with a bigger fortune, more land. Taller, too, by God. A complete improvement in every sense of the word and suddenly, I was no longer necessary. I had made plans to ask her to marry me. We had talked about it. And then, suddenly, a week or so before I was going to approach her father, she sent me a letter telling me that she no longer felt the same way. That it was time to wish one another the best and move on .”

  And from the sadness so evident on his face, Eliza must have moved on quickly .

  “She made her debut with her new beau shortly after,” he gave a mirthless laugh. “There are rumors that she is to be engaged shortly, actually. Which makes her message to me both strange and almost diabolical .”

  Tillie agreed. If this Eliza woman truly found happiness and moved on with a new duke, why renew a connection with Alexander after breaking his heart so wretchedly? What aim did the woman have? Was she so truly desperate to be the upcoming center of attention, that she needed to be certain that all eyes, including the Duke of Barre’s, must be fixed firmly on her ?

  At the very core of their deal, Tillie had agreed to be more than a fake fiancée. She had agreed to a role that would serve as a sort of protector over Alexander and the story he had just told her made her reconsider everything. This was not just a job to make some freedom money for herself. The duke had essentially hired her as a bodyguard for his heart, she realized with a laugh. And she was suddenly quite certain that she was going to take her new role very seriously .

  If this Miss Masters was hell bent on being the center of attention, Tillie was going to do everything she could to give the little twit a run for her money and to take her down a peg or two. Not only did Alexander’s truth open her eyes to how much he was truly hurting despite his carefree and lighthearted demeanor, it galvanized her to not only accept the role, but to truly shine in it for his sake .

  “Are you going to respond?” She asked, breaking him from whatever spell he was under. He looked up at her, his eyes a bit clearer than they had been while he recounted his tale .

  “Do you think I should ?”

  She could tell from his voice that Alexander wanted nothing more than to open the lines of communication again with this woman. But that could be a disaster .

  “I think you should begin crafting an image that you have quite moved on from her and no longer have time for the previous friendship the two of you once enjoyed. That she no longer has access to that side of you .”

  “You are quite right,” he agreed, nodding along .

  “But you have got to be careful not to appear bitter about establishing your boundaries,” she said. “So, while I do not think you should respond to her notes, you must be careful not to appear angry or spiteful when you see her .”

  “Why is that ?”

  Tillie gave Alexander a knowing smile .

  “Because the best revenge in life is to be happy,” she said. “Even if you do not quite feel it, the thought of you as happily moved on will hit her where it hurts the most and send a clear message .”

  Alexander considered her words a moment before standing. In a panic, Tillie sloshed further under water and squeaked in protest .

  “Miss Andrews, for a part-fish woman, you are truly brilliant,” he said as he turned to go. “Brilliant and wicked .”

  With that, he winked at her and then was gone, back through the secret door from which he had appeared, leaving Tillie uncertain as to whether she was ever going to be truly alone in her rooms .

  8

  A lexander had to spend the day attending to business matters for the property, leaving Tillie to wander the halls of Warfield alone for much of the morning. She perused the grand halls full of paintings of the long, distinguished lineage of Landon family members. She made small talk with some of the staff as they moved throughout their own duties, too. Each was kind and helpful, but there was an obvious distance apparent. As if the notion that the Duke of Barre suddenly arriving with a new fiancée was a bit odd .

  If only they knew how strange the entire situation really was .

  By lunchtime, she was feeling well and truly alone as she ate the afternoon meal by herself in her room, staring out the window at the lush grounds below, wondering what her brothers were doing. Ambrose was likely preparing for his journey, Ethan and Nigel returning from the sea. Christopher was a solicitor, and would be at his office, Stephen probably still at home with his family. Thompson was likely doing their father’s books, and Max would be in the Andrews’ library .

  And Mamma? If Tillie knew her mother at all, she knew her mother was probably sitting in her own salon worrying about her only daughter. They had left so abruptly, with little chance to explain anything or leave her parents with a more substantial story while she carried out her mission. But with the circumstances as they were, there had been little to do but kiss her parents goodbye and leave with the Duke and Dowager Duchess of Barre .

  Her chest tightened at the thought of how much she was missing her family already. The noise, the closeness, the activity — she’d taken so much for granted .

  Gemma returned to take the trays away and paused beside the table where Tillie was staring out the window .

  “Pardon me, Miss,” she said, tentatively. “But is anything amiss ?”

  Her question brought Tillie’s mind back to the present and she blinked .

  “I’m fine, thank you, Gemma,” she said, the distraction obvious. “I am just a little lost here .”

  Gemma glanced cautiously toward the door before putting a hand on the table near Tillie .

  “For what it’s worth,” she said, a little timidly. “There are many of us who are very glad to see ye here .”

  That cau
ght Tillie’s attention and she glanced up .

  “Truly?”

  Gemma nodded quickly before sparing a second glance at the door — which remained shut .

  “I’ve been here three years now and I remember both the time before Miss Masters and the time after,” Gemma said. “And that lass is evil to be sure. She near destroyed the duke with her games. It was a shame, Miss Andrews, though we were all quite relieved when she brushed him off .”

  Tillie considered her words. She had heard quite enough of this woman and was ready to meet her .

  “Did you see much of Miss Masters?” Tillie couldn’t help herself. The curiosity was eating at her .

  Gemma nodded .

  “Her family stayed here a week or two during the summer festivals in Warfield,” she said. “Miserable people, really, for a baron’s wife and daughters. Ye’d have thought the Crown Prince himself had arrived instead of her father, the Baron Huntington .”

  “Is she…” Tillie ventured but stalled. She was almost too embarrassed to ask. “Is she a handsome woman, this Miss Masters ?”

  Gemma smiled at Tillie .

  “Aye, she is a beauty,” Gemma said quietly. “But the duke went and found himself someone far prettier and far kinder than that Miss Masters .”

  The thought made Tillie smile, even though she was sure it wasn’t quite true .

  “I believe we are all going to be seeing Miss Masters once again,” Tillie said. “I cannot decide whether or not I am looking forward to it, although I should be glad to be rid of the anticipation of the meeting. Alexander – His Grace – sounds shaken when he speaks of her. I hope he does not react too badly when seeing her .”

  Gemma nodded as in understanding .

  “At first, it may be hard,” she said. “But with you beside him, he is sure to see what he avoided by not marrying her. Give it time .”