‘Good morning, Your Grace.’
Rosalind halted several paces away. Hector trotted over to Leo and pushed at his gloved hand to encourage Leo to fondle his ears.
‘Good morning, Miss Allen. I am surprised to see you out walking so early after your late night.’
She smiled and his heart turned over in his chest. There was a hint of apology in that smile.
‘And I, you.’ She came closer. ‘I spent a restless night.’
He smiled ruefully. ‘As did I.’ He crooked his arm. ‘Would you care to walk with me?’
‘Thank you. Yes.’
She placed her gloved hand on his sleeve and they began to walk, Conqueror plodding quietly on Leo’s other side. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed the maid maintained a discreet distance, but her eyes bulged with curiosity.
‘We need to talk about—’
Rosalind fell silent as Leo covered her hand with his, gently squeezing her fingers.
‘Hush. The sun is shining and the birds are singing. May we not just enjoy our walk and these beautiful surroundings?’
‘Very well.’ Her doubt was audible. After a short pause, she said, ‘But, after last night, I did want to say—’
His hand still covered hers and he squeezed again. ‘And I wish to say that, at this moment, I want nothing more than to haul you into my arms and kiss you until you are breathless.’
She gasped and her fingers tightened on his sleeve. A sidelong look revealed a wash of pink colouring her cheeks. ‘Y-you cannot say such a thing.’
‘Can I not? I thought I just had. After everything we have shared, are we to pretend a mere casual acquaintance even in private conversation?’
A smile trembled on her lips. ‘Perhaps not. But do not think I am ignorant of your quite blatant attempt to distract me.’
‘Was it successful?’
She pursed her lips and a dimple appeared in one cheek. He had missed that dimple.
‘Somewhat,’ she said. ‘But I do wish to...’
‘Hush,’ he said again but, this time, she continued to speak.
‘Please allow me to finish.’
Leo inclined his head. He could not continue to press her into silence if she was determined to have her say. He only hoped they could discuss whatever was on her mind without it becoming a clash of wills. She was one of the few women of his acquaintance who did not hesitate to disagree with him if her opinion differed from his. It made a refreshing change from those women who, in their eagerness to curry favour, would agree with him if he were to assert the sun was green.
‘My apologies. Please continue.’
‘Thank you. It is about Susie. I dare say you have forgotten all about her, but I think it only right I should tell you what I have decided about her future.’
‘I confess she slipped my mind last night, but I had not completely forgotten her. When I...’
He paused, his instinct to conceal any hint of weakness coming to the fore. But had he not sworn to be Leo Boyton today, and not to hide behind the invincible, infallible guise of the Duke of Cheriton? He must be truthful, however much the very idea shook him.
‘I returned to Buckinghamshire yesterday. To find you.’ His voice cracked at the remembered pain when he had arrived at Stoney End and found it deserted. ‘Afterwards, I did wonder what had become of Susie. Do I understand she is still with you?’
‘She is.’
‘What did the vicar discover about her?’
They had reached the banks of the Serpentine and they strolled along its bank as Rosalind’s voice revealed her anguish for Susie as she narrated the little girl’s history.
Poor child. Destined to suffer because of her father’s sins. At least my uncle did not disown Lascelles, even if he did refuse to wed his mother.
‘I shall speak to my son, Avon,’ he said to Rosalind after she completed Susie’s story. ‘He is a patron of Westfield, that orphan asylum I told you about, and I am sure—’
‘No!’
Leo halted and raised a brow. Conqueror took advantage and lowered his head to nibble the grass.
Rosalind flushed. ‘I am sorry. I did not mean to be brusque. I must tell you... I have decided to raise Susie myself and to give her an education. I cannot bear the thought of her going into service. She... It is not her fault her father was a scoundrel.’
Her feelings about Susie echoed his own, but, as for her plan to raise her...
‘You are mistaken if you believe she will be happier in our world,’ he said. ‘If her birth becomes known, she will be ostracised.’
‘Our world? There is no such thing. She will not be of your world, but of mine,’ Rosalind said.
‘And if it should become our world?’
Rosalind set off again, at an angle across the park, away from the water’s edge. Leo pulled a reluctant Conqueror’s head up and followed. He caught her up several strides later, and then kept pace.
‘I gave you my answer last night,’ she continued. ‘There is no need for us to marry. No one will ever know what happened.’
‘And if there are consequences to our lying together? Will you be happy bringing another Susie into this world?’
She halted. ‘Then mayhap I shall have to think again. But I shall never be happy in this world. I do not belong here.’
‘You arrived in London only yesterday. How do you know how you will feel in another week? Another month?’
She raised a sceptical brow, her eyes bleak. ‘I know.’
Her voice carried such conviction he had to believe her. Or at least, he must accept that she believed what she said was fact.
‘Allow me the chance to make you happy,’ he said. He would do all in his power to change her mind.
Her eyes dulled before her lids lowered, masking her thoughts. ‘I cannot.’ More conviction, but tinged with regret. Leo took heart.
‘If it wasn’t for your maid, I would take you in my arms right now and kiss you.’
‘Then for the first time I appreciate Lady Glenlochrie’s insistence that I should not walk in the park unaccompanied,’ she said, her smile wry.
‘And a kiss is not all I desire, my sweet Rosalind.’
Pink tinged her cheeks and her breathing quickened, igniting his blood. Their path had led them alongside a clump of shrubs to their right and the empty park stretched away to their left. A quick look affirmed that the maid had halted several yards behind them.
Leo lowered his voice. ‘That afternoon is seared into my memory, sweetheart. You are seared into my memory and on to my soul: your image, your scent, your taste.
‘We belong together and sooner or later you will accept the truth of it.’
She stared up at him, wide-eyed, seeming not to notice as he surreptitiously nudged Conqueror around so the horse’s body blocked them from the maid’s view.
‘You are exquisite, my darling Rosalind...’ Swiftly, he cupped her chin and bent his head to hers, capturing her lips.
Her gasp took his breath and he seized the chance to explore the sweet heat of her mouth as she swayed towards him, her luscious curves pressing against his chest. He should not succumb, he knew. He should have a care of her reputation, just as she—though her gold-brown eyes were at this moment soft and dazed—should have a care of her sister’s good name. Shielded as they appeared to be, this was still a public park and the town was full of eager gossips.
Sweet Lord! How I want her!
He struggled to regain control of both his mind and his body. Using every ounce of his mental strength, Leo tore his mouth from Rosalind’s, almost panting with the effort required. He held her by her upper arms and supported her until he was sure her legs would not buckle.
‘That,’ he whispered, ‘is why you will be my Duchess.’
> An inarticulate cry erupted from her lips and, in the swiftest of changes, Rosalind stiffened, her expression hard. ‘No.’
That one swift word—so resolute—winded him, robbing him of speech. He could do nothing but stare as Rosalind pulled away from him.
‘Bessie! Come. His Grace has recalled an urgent appointment and it is time you and I returned home.’
Bessie was still out of sight, behind Conqueror. Leo grabbed Rosalind’s arm.
‘Why? You owe me an explanation.’
She stared at him, cool as the Serpentine on a winter’s day. ‘I owe you nothing.’
‘I shall call on you at noon. As arranged.’
‘There is nothing more to discuss.’
Stubborn, infuriating woman!
‘Quite apart from our own future, we have yet to come to an agreement about Susie’s. You should at least visit Westfield before making such a momentous decision. The decision to raise a child you know nothing about is a serious one.’
‘I have experience of raising children, Your Grace, and I will not abandon Susie to some...some institution.’
Rosalind tilted her chin, spun on her heel and marched away, Bessie trotting along in her wake. Hector—who had been foraging in the bushes—emerged and bounded after them, leaving Leo to wonder how the hell that had gone so very wrong. His former sense of well-being had dissipated and he rode back to Beauchamp House plagued by uncertainties.
Why was she so adamant she would not marry him? It made no sense. She had given herself to him. That kiss proved she was not indifferent and she could not deny the material benefits of marrying him. Did she distrust him? He sifted through ideas to prove to her that she could trust him and rely upon him. He would visit Lascelles and Stanton, as he had promised, and then...more than ever, he was convinced the way to her heart would be through her family.
As soon as he arrived home he would send for Medland and find out what he had discovered about Sir Peter Tadlow. And, later, he would speak to Freddie and offer him the role as his secretary—he knew in his bones that bored young man would leap at the opportunity.
Her insistence on raising Susie might prove more of a problem, however. His determination to wed Rosalind—driven equally by love and honour—did not mean he would meekly agree to a course he believed to be wrong. He would reserve judgement until after he had seen the child again and he would persuade Rosalind to visit Westfield and see the place for herself. Ultimately, if he agreed to raise Susie, then the child would become a member of his family and no one in society would then dare to cut her.
Cheered by the prospect of taking action, he handed Conqueror over to a footman to take round to the mews and ran up the steps to his front door. Rosalind would soon see he was neither as arrogant nor as untrustworthy as she appeared to believe.
Chapter Eighteen
Rosalind’s first instinct was to be anywhere but at home when the clock struck noon.
Arrogant, interfering man! Who does he think he is, giving his orders and meddling in my life when it is none of his business?
But common sense and practicality eventually prevailed. If she antagonised Leo, it might set him even more against her plan to keep Susie and could prompt him to disapprove of the friendship between Nell and Olivia. Twelve o’clock, therefore, found Rosalind sitting with Susie in the drawing room, awaiting Leo’s arrival, her insides twisting with nerves. She could not get used to his high position in society. Leo, a duke! She had forgotten that fact this morning, distracted by his kiss, until his alarming declaration that she would be his Duchess. Now, with the benefit of quiet contemplation, she found it hard to believe he was still willing to wed her despite her father’s humble beginnings, even though a proud voice inside her head insisted on reminding her that Leo seemed not only willing to wed her, but actually eager to do so.
You are seared into my memory and on to my soul.
That came very close to declaring his love. And, oh, what if it were true? His feelings for her...about her...were vital: she could not bear to be wed out of duty.
And yet...
Mama and Papa must have loved one another once, to take that drastic decision to elope. Love had not endured in their case: unable to survive their different expectations of life, it had disintegrated into indifference and even dislike in Rosalind’s recollection of her childhood.
And what of her responsibilities: to Jack, still only fourteen, to Nell, to Freddie and, now, to Susie? The voice of reason reminded her that, if she wed Leo, she would be in a much stronger position to help them all—unless, of course, Leo happened to disagree with her over how to help. The ultimate decision would be his. Not only because he was a duke, but also because of his sex.
And what if Leo grew to regret shackling himself to a wife of lowly birth? He had been quick to believe the worst of her last night. It was not only Susie who would risk being ostracised. She glanced fondly at the child, laboriously copying a sampler given to her by Lady Glenlochrie, her tongue emerging between her lips as she plied her needle. How would Leo look at Rosalind once her poisonous aunts became aware she was in London and would be attending many of the same balls and parties? The gossip would fly through the ton and people would view Rosalind with either pity or contempt.
Restless, she stood and crossed the room to the window, which overlooked the street. A carriage, with a painted crest upon its door and driven by a uniformed coachman, pulled up outside the house and Rosalind’s stomach performed a slow, sickly somersault. She was no nearer deciding what she would say. Or how she should behave. Was it time she capitulated, or would she live to regret not listening to that sixth sense of hers, the one that clamoured at her to run?
A hand crept into hers, jerking her from her thoughts.
‘Why are you sad?’ Susie looked up at Rosalind, her eyes huge with worry. ‘Have I got to go back home?’
Rosalind crouched down and hugged the girl to her, marvelling at how far she had progressed—in appearance, behaviour and speech—since that day they had found her cowering in the corner of that store, terrified and half-starving. ‘No, Susie. You do not have to go anywhere. Your home is here with us.’
And just let anyone try to take her away.
The sound of a throat being cleared attracted her attention. Keating, the butler, peered down his nose as Rosalind released Susie and regained her feet, keeping hold of her hand. Let him disapprove! Only then did she see Leo behind Keating. Would he be as judgemental as the butler? She did not care. She stiffened her spine and regarded the butler down her own nose.
‘Yes, Keating?’
The Duke of Cheriton. For you, miss.’ Disbelief coloured his every word.
‘Thank you, Keating. Please ask Lady Helena to join us here.’
She had warned Nell her presence would be required to sit with Rosalind when the Duke called, causing Nell some amusement at the idea of chaperoning her own chaperon. She had also been desperately curious as to the reason for Leo’s visit, but Rosalind had told her, with some truth, that it was in order to discuss Susie’s future. Nell could also occupy Susie whilst she and Leo talked.
Leo strolled into the room, filling it with his presence, but before Rosalind could even greet him, Susie tore her hand from Rosalind’s and hurtled across the room, her brown curls bouncing in a cloud around her head. ‘Mr Boyton! Mr Boyton!’
Rosalind froze but Leo caught Susie under the arms and swung her around.
‘Susie! What a surprise, meeting you here.’
‘I live here now. With Miss Allen and Mr Allen and Lady Glenlo-loch...and Lady Helena and Penny and—’
‘Yes, yes, poppet. I believe I understand the gist of it.’ His silver-grey gaze sought Rosalind’s, his smile sending a warm glow right through her. ‘You live with lots and lots of people. And are they kind to you?’
He plopped her on to the floor, where she bobbed up and down, keen to keep his attention.
‘Yes! And I eat a lot and no one says that is enough and no one steals it from my plate and—’
‘And I think it is time to calm down, Susie.’ Rosalind ruffled the little girl’s curls. ‘Lady Helena is coming to sit with you whilst I talk to the Duke...er, Mr Boyton.’ Susie stared up at Rosalind. ‘And do you remember what Lady Glenlochrie told you about speaking more slowly so you can hold a proper conversation with adults?’
Susie nodded.
‘Good girl.’
‘She has improved beyond all recognition,’ Leo murmured as Nell entered the room, distracting Susie. ‘You have worked very hard with her.’
He and Nell exchanged greetings, then Nell took Susie to sit by the window whilst Rosalind and Leo crossed to sit on the sofa where they could talk without interruption.
‘It did not take much effort on my part,’ Rosalind said. ‘She is eager to please and receptive to lessons in good manners, although she is, as you have seen, a little over-exuberant at times.’
Tension once more held her in its grip. If Leo repeated his belief Susie should go to the orphan asylum, would she, Rosalind, really be able to withstand the decree of a duke? His expression gave nothing away. Which man was he today? Leo, the gentle, teasing man she had fallen in love with, or was he the powerful Duke of Cheriton, accustomed to having his every whim obeyed?
‘I have been thinking over our earlier conversation,’ Leo said. Rosalind held her breath. ‘Now I am reacquainted with Susie, I understand your eagerness to help her but, before we make the final decision, I should like to take you to Westfield, so you may see the place for yourself. You will see that the children there are happy and well cared for.’
‘I do not need to see the place. Any child, surely, must be happier raised in a home, and with a family, than in an institution, no matter how well run.’
‘But you do not consider the happiness of a child raised in a world that does not forgive illegitimacy?’
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