Forgotten & Remembered: The Duke's Late Wife (Love's Second Chance Book 1)

by Bree Wolf

  Forgotten & Remembered

  The Duke’s Late Wife

  (#1 Love’s Second Chance Series)

  by Bree Wolf

  Forgotten & Remembered - The Duke’s Late Wife

  by Bree Wolf

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, brands, media, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in fictitious manner.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover photography by George Hodan

  Copyright © 2015 Sabrina Wolf

  www.breewolf.com

  All Rights Reserved

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  To Second Chances

  Acknowledgments

  All my thanks goes to my family, who continues to be supportive and encouraging, inspirational and challenging. You have no idea how glad I am to have you in my life.

  A great big thanks to my beta readers, Cindy Ulrich, Tray-Ci Roberts and fellow author Laura Masciarelli. Your honest words gave me the most wonderful ideas. Please never stop.

  About the Book

  His heart torn in two, Graham Astor, Duke of Kensington, mourns his wife. As he distances himself from everything that reminds him of happier days lost forever, he comes to realize that there is one thing he cannot run from.

  Graham needs a new wife, if only for the sake of his daughter.

  Disillusioned with love, Rosabel only wishes not to remain a burden to her uncle’s family much longer. After seeing her parents’ love turn against them, Rosabel dreams of an independent life as a governess.

  Then a stranger asks for her hand in marriage, and to her utter shock, her uncle instantly agrees.

  Will Rosabel find love after all? Or will the memory of Graham’s late wife keep him from finding happiness?

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - A New Wife

  Chapter 2 - On Becoming a Governess

  Chapter 3 - The Proposal

  Chapter 4 - The Wedding

  Chapter 5 - A Journey Is Announced

  Chapter 6 - A New Home

  Chapter 7 - A Mother After All

  Chapter 8 - The Late Duchess of Kensington

  Chapter 9 - The Attic

  Chapter 10 - A Visitor

  Chapter 11 - My Love Leonora

  Chapter 12 - For Georgiana’s Sake

  Chapter 13 - Business to Attend to

  Chapter 14 - Return to Westmore

  Chapter 15 - On the Other Side of the Door

  Chapter 16 - The Christmas Ball

  Chapter 17 - Mistletoe

  Chapter 18 - In the Dark of Night

  Chapter 19 - Leonora’s Diaries

  Chapter 20 - London

  Chapter 21 - To Save a Life

  Chapter 22 - Upon Arriving at Camden Hall

  Chapter 23 - Ellie’s Advice

  Chapter 24 - A Kiss Owed

  Chapter 25 - Unable to Forget

  Chapter 26 - Leonora’s Secret

  Chapter 27 - A Mere Replacement

  Chapter 28 - A Kiss Claimed

  Chapter 29 - Desire

  Chapter 30 - A Foolish Woman

  Chapter 31 - A Memory to Behold

  Chapter 32 - Amends

  Chapter 33 - We Are the Same

  Chapter 34 - Beyond Hope

  Chapter 35 - A Crippling Fate

  Chapter 36 - Answers Revealed

  Chapter 37 - A Blind Man

  Chapter 38 - You Won, My Lady

  Chapter 39 - Idle Gossip

  Chapter 40 - Honesty

  Chapter 41 - Return to the Willow Tree

  Chapter 42 - Confessions

  Chapter 43 - Guilt

  Chapter 44 - To Hell with the Bloody Vows

  Epilogue

  About Bree

  Also by Bree

  Dear Reader

  Sneak-peek

  Prologue

  1801 England (or a variation thereof)

  Wind whipping through his hair, Edmond Dunsworth, Duke of Cromwell, leaned forward, urging his horse to greater speed. Almost flattening himself to the stallion’s body as they flew over the hedge bordering Westmore Manor to the east, he still marvelled at the new light that had come to his sister’s eyes since he’d last seen her. Crashing through the underbrush, he spotted her up ahead, her golden hair sparkling in the sun that reached tentative rays through the foliage overhead as though hesitant to touch her.

  “Edmond!” Her voice travelled over the distance and the thundering of their horses’ hooves as though she was right beside him. “Will you forfeit?”

  “Never!”

  A sparkle came to her eyes as her lips curved upward. “I shall be lenient if you surrender now.”

  “Never!” he repeated, pulling his stallion around another thickly growing monster barring his path. “The Duke of Cromwell does not surrender!”

  Her delightful laughter, like a brook babbling in the early morning air, reached his ears, almost making him reconsider. As much as he loved her, he had never granted her an easy victory. So he urged his horse on and soon pulled up alongside her.

  Seeing him next to her, she too spurred her horse onward. “Dear brother, for sure you will not make me lose face.”

  He laughed. “It is only us. And I swear I will not breathe a word should you lose this once, Leonora.”

  Biting her lower lip, she leaned forward as the wind whipped through her hair and caught in her long skirts. “Leonora Astor, Duchess of Kensington, does not lose!” Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at him. “Never! Not even once!”

  Although he knew how furious she would be with him if he allowed her to gain ground, his heart just wasn’t set on winning this race, but on seeing her win instead.

  As the distance between them grew once more, she called to him over her shoulder. “Do not disappoint me, Edmond. Have you no honour?”

  Her playful insult burned in his heart, and he once again urged his horse on. The path soon levelled out, leaving behind bordering trees and opening up to green pastures, glowing in the early sun. Edmond felt his horse’s flanks move as he pursued her. Soon, she was almost within his reach, and he playfully swatted her horse’s behind.

  Laughing, she looked at him. “Not bad, dear brother! But will it be enough?”

  As they flew across a sea of grass, swaying softly in the breeze, Edmond’s gaze softened, seeing her slender figure clinging to her mare’s back, moulded together as though one. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she turned to look at him. For a moment, a long moment, they flew onward, side by side, eyes fixed on the other. A perfect moment. A moment that would stay with him until the end of his days. A moment that he would curse all the same. A moment so dear that it hurt to think of it. A moment he would see in his dreams. Again and again, hoping for a different outcome.

  Before Edmond knew what had happened, she suddenly disappeared from his view, his eyes gazing into nothing, searching for a matching pair.

  Then a shrill scream reached his ears, freezing the blood in his veins.

  Instantly, Edmond reined in his horse. As he turned to look for her, his eyes swept over the green stalks, still swaying in the breeze−as though nothing had happened−until they came upon the carnage his ears had told him about a moment before.

  His heart stopped beating. If only for a moment
.

  The white mare lay on her side, completely still, left foreleg bent in an odd angle. Dropping off his horse, Edmond rushed around the dead horse and gasped as he found his sister only a few feet away. Although the gash on her forehead seemed minor, the way she lay in the grass almost disappearing from view swallowed up by thin hands reaching from the earth seeking to pull her under, he knew the truth.

  Lunging forward, Edmond almost bumped into her. His eyes frantically searched for injuries to tend to, but he found none. None except for the small cut on her forehead. Tentatively, he put a hand on her cheek and almost died of shock when she opened her eyes.

  “Leonora?” he whispered, bending over her so she would see him. “Can you hear me?”

  For a moment her eyes closed, and he held his breath. Mesmerized, he watched her chest rise and fall, slowly ever so slowly. The strength that had always radiated from her was gone, and like never before, he felt the desperate need to protect her.

  But it was too late. Seeing her lying in the grass, broken beyond repair, Edmond hung his head as tears spilled forth.

  “Georgiana,” she whispered and opened her eyes. “Georgiana.”

  Carefully, he took her hand in his. “I will take care of her.” His voice caught. “I promise.”

  Her eyes stared into nothing; she didn’t see him, but her hand seemed to relax. “I promise,” he repeated, not knowing what else to do.

  “Graham,” Leonora said, her voice growing weaker. Leaning closer, Edmond put his ear next to her mouth to catch the last words he would ever hear her say. “Tell Graham, I…” − she swallowed and drew in a ragged breath− “I …”

  “What?” he whispered, but as he raised his eyes to her face, he realized her light had vanished for good. He was alone.

  Burying his face in her hair, the Duke of Cromwell wept.

  Chapter One - A New Wife

  One Year Later

  “I do not understand why you insist on coming along?” Graham Astor, Duke of Kensington, asked. He barely looked at his brother-in-law, keeping his gaze on the scenery passing before his eyes. “I do not need assistance.”

  “I disagree,” the Duke of Cromwell said. Shifting in his seat to get more comfortable, he leaned forward, squinting his eyes. “Do you have a young lady in mind?”

  In turn, Graham’s eyes widened. How dare he suggest such a thing? Keeping his mind focused on the rumbling of the carriage’s wheels on the country lane, Graham continued to stare out the window.

  “So, this is like going to the market and purchasing whatever strikes your fancy?”

  Once more shocked beyond comprehension, Graham finally turned his eyes to the man sitting across from him. His blond hair slightly unkempt, one boot propped up on the bench beside him, his brother-in-law crossed his arms as though in anger, but his blue eyes twinkled as his lips curled into a mischievous smile. “So,” he said, “then tell me, what are you looking for in a wife?”

  Graham swallowed. Was he looking for a wife? No, most definitely not. He’d had a wife, the only one he’d ever wanted. Replacing her seemed as impossible as the sun not rising in the east.

  “Do you wish for a blond,”−Graham flinched−” a brunette maybe?” Edmond asked. “With blue eyes, or rather green?”

  Setting his jaw, Graham once more turned to the window. “I am not looking for a wife.”

  “I see,” Edmond said, and there was something in his voice that made Graham look at him. “Do you?” he asked.

  Edmond nodded. “You’re not looking for a wife, but for a mother for Georgiana.”

  ***

  Smoothing down her dress with shaking hands, Rosabel Lander climbed the steps to the stately manor hosting today’s engagement celebration. Finally, Viscount Davenport had selected a wife. While some voiced honest congratulations for the future couple, there were a few who viewed the spectacle with mixed feelings. Especially the mothers and daughters who had vied for his hand…and lost. It was all a game, Rosabel thought. Once more she felt her resolve strengthened to stand aside and not partake.

  While her aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Harlowe, paraded their children around the room, introducing their eldest daughter Elsbeth to yet another eligible bachelor, Rosabel withdrew into the corners of the large hall. Eyes traveling about the room, she found many straying outside into the gardens where large tables, weighted down by enormous amounts of food, had been set in the shades of the giant oak trees. After taking a deep breath, Rosabel tiptoed passed a number of her uncle’s acquaintances and, pushing open the French doors, finally found her way outside, enjoying the calm breeze brushing over her face. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted her youngest cousins amongst a crowd of children rushing to the banquet table, inspecting the food with hungry expressions on their little faces. Feeling a smile tucked at the corners of her mouth, she watched them, their carefree spirits lighting their eyes. Oh, how she wished she could join them.

  “Cousin Rosabel!” six-year-old Lydia called, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Did you see the cake?”

  “Four tiers!” Beatrice exclaimed, her own face beaming brightly. “But we have to wait until they cut it,” she informed her younger sister earnestly. “Is that not true, Rosabel?”

  Smiling, Rosabel nodded. “It certainly is. Why do you not play a game before you eat? I believe by then they will have cut the cake.”

  Both nodded eagerly. “But you must play with us!” Grabbing her by the hands, the girls drew her away from her shady spot of solitude and out into the sun. Reluctant at first, Rosabel heard laughter rise from her own throat as she chased after them. Her young cousins had an uncanny ability to make her forget everything around her. Today, however, she should have shown some restraint as she was so harshly reminded by her uncle’s voice a moment later, “Rosabel! Do come here!”

  Feeling the slap of his words, Rosabel stiffened. Before turning away from her cousins’ smiles and facing her uncle’s scowl, Rosabel drew in a deep breath.

  “Yes, Uncle,” she breathed, seeing the disapproval clearly edged in his face. “Is there something that you require?”

  Robert Munford, Baron Harlowe, snorted. “I require you to behave like a well-brought up lady.” He shook his head. “At the very least do try and do your mother justice.” Without another word, he turned and walked away.

  Following him with her eyes, Rosabel found some of the other guests cast disapproving glances in her direction. She was sure they had overheard his lecturing her, and so she decided to withdraw into the shades once more, cheeks aflame with embarrassment.

  “Do not mind him,” she heard her eldest cousin’s voice speak from behind her. “He does not know the meaning of fun.”

  A faint smile crossed her face. “He is right. I should not have behaved as I did. It was unladylike.”

  Ellie’s eyes searched her face. “Do not fret. No one saw.”

  Rosabel glanced about. “I am certain I saw a few look at me as he did. After all, I am my mother’s daughter.”

  Ellie snorted, “But you are not your mother. It was not you who disobeyed your father and shamed your family. They have nothing to hold against you.”

  Rosabel nodded. Ellie was right; she was not her mother. And yet, hearing her cousin judge her mother so harshly in order to defend her stung. What had her mother done that had been so wrong? She had followed her heart. Unfortunately, her heart had led her, a baron’s daughter, into the arms of a commoner of little fortune. The former Lord Harlowe had never forgiven his daughter for disrespecting him, and his son carried on the torch, extending the blame from mother to daughter. After all, her mother could not be lectured anymore. Death had freed her at last.

  “Who is he?” Ellie spoke, tearing Rosabel from her inner turmoil. “Have you seen him before?”

  “Who?” Glancing across the lawn, eyes searching the terrace as her cousin’s nod indicated, Rosabel found herself looking at a young man of almost golden hair. An easy smile on his face, his eyes twinkled i
n the sun as they swept across the people gathered before him. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him before.”

  “Mmmh,” Ellie mused. “He is quite handsome.” Her own eyes glistened as she observed him from afar. “He seems very amicable, unlike his friend.”

  “His friend?” Rosabel asked, redirecting her gaze from her cousin back to the new-comer. By his side now stood another gentleman, and while the fair-haired young man had reminded her of a gentle summer day with the sparkling sun shining brightly upon the face of the earth, his companion appeared like a black hole. His dark hair and cold, calculating eyes spoke of a monster hiding in the dark, preying on the innocent, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  A shiver went down her back as his eyes met hers, and she averted her gaze without another thought as though afraid the cold in his eyes could turn her to stone. “There is something unsettling about him,” she whispered.

  Ellie nodded, giving a slight shake herself. “He does seem unpleasant. Why do you think he is here? He does not seem to enjoy himself.”

  Rosabel shrugged, hoping she’d never find out.

  ***

  Letting his eyes sweep over the gathering of people on the lawn by the oak trees, exhaustion washed over Graham like a heavy rain. He did not see the sun or the smiling faces nor could he smell the delicious odours of freshly prepared food or hear the delighted giggles of the children chasing one another through the gardens. All Graham saw were people he didn’t know, people he didn’t care to know. And in that moment, he was grateful for Edmond’s presence.

  “So?” his brother-in-law asked. “Do you see anything you like?”

  Graham frowned. “I hope you are referring to the food.”

  Winking, Edmond chuckled. “Do try and look a little at ease. This is a garden party, not your last meal before you meet the gallows in the morning.”

  “I know.”

  Edmond shook his head. “Are you certain? Your face seems to disagree.”