What Desire Demands, My Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Olivia T. Bennet

  “O-oh!” Samuel exclaimed, realizing his error. He rushed forward, placed the papers on William’s desk, and returned to his spot five feet away. “Forgive me, Your Grace.”

  William nearly told him that there was nothing to forgive, that the reason for his anger did not lie with him nor in the fact that he’d crushed such important papers. But he didn’t bother. He only picked up one of the letters Samuel had brought, sent from the solicitor of the late Duke informing William of the estates that had fallen out of the hands of the Dukedom. Even after his death, the late Duke caused nothing but trouble.

  “Has he told you anything?” William asked, eyes skimming the letter. Samuel had informed him of the gist of its contents, but he had to read it himself.

  “No, Your Grace. I did not get a chance to see him, in fact. I was given this letter through his clerk.”

  “Ah.” William tossed the letter aside. Fury rushed throughout him, but he managed to get to his feet without lashing out at something else. He ignored the trembling steward as he walked by and poured himself another glass of brandy at the sideboard. He didn’t speak again until the burning liquid had found its way to the pit of his stomach.

  “There is no need to be so afraid, Samuel,” William said in a gruff voice.

  Samuel nodded jerkily. “I-I know, Your Grace. I will try my best to work on it.”

  William doubted it. Samuel had been his steward for a few years now and though the rail-thin man had grown used to William’s bursts of anger, it didn’t curb his skittish nature. He jumped at shadows, quaked if someone dared to change their tone when speaking with him, and shied away from any form of confrontation. The only reason William cared to keep him as his steward was because Samuel was the smartest man he knew. He was even willing to bet that he was the smartest man in all of London.

  But right now, William couldn’t handle his jumpy behavior. “You may leave,” he dismissed. “Go home to your family and rest for the day. Return here tomorrow.”

  “But, Your Grace—” He cut off when William looked at him, swallowing. Samuel quickly bowed. “Yes, Your Grace. Please, enjoy the rest of your day.”

  I sincerely doubt that is a possibility.

  He didn’t watch Samuel go. From the distance, William stared at the slip of paper he could still see on his desk, feeling his rage grow once more. He’d known that the estates would be in such a deplorable state. He’d known that the work he would have to expend to ensure that this didn’t get any worse would only anger and wear him. But now that he was faced with that reality, all William could think about was the long nights the previous Duke had spent away from home. The inebriated state William would find him in the following morning. The distress of his stepmother, which had driven her to an early grave.

  Some days, William wished the Duchess of Brandon had not fallen so in love with his father. William felt he would have been much better off had his father remained in India and had never met the Duchess at all.

  Would things truly have been better?

  The fact that he wasn’t sure how to answer that question bothered him even more. With a grunt, William set the glass back onto the sideboard and made for the door. A walk would do him good. He’d be able to clear his mind and be ready for the painstaking task that was waiting for him when he returned to his study.

  The moment he left, his long strides already eating up the distance between his study and the gardens, Elizabeth’s imaged drifted into his mind. His body tensed at the memory of the confusion and hurt on her face when they’d spoken earlier this morning. Something that felt like regret began to nag at him.

  But that cannot be. She was not supposed to find me in the first place. I should not feel bad for sending her away when all she wants to do is intrude on this new life I have.

  Telling himself that did not help to quell that unsteady feeling growing within him. After he’d left the drawing room, following her bold declaration, he’d ordered Harold to have her escorted from the manor. That had been a little over an hour ago, so she was sure to be back in her own bedchamber by now.

  “Your Grace!”

  William came to a stop, turning. Harold stood on the other end of the long hallway and he began to make his way over in quick strides. He was breathless when he made it up to William, looking a bit put out.

  William frowned. “What has gotten you so flustered?”

  Harold swallowed and straightened, visibly bringing himself to some level of normalcy. His gaze was directed right over William’s shoulder, a constant reminder that Harold was slowly going blind in one eye. William had suggested that he retire, telling Harold that he would ensure he and his family would be well taken care of. After all, Harold had proven to be of great assistance—and even a friend—when William had first moved into the Duchess’ household. He held the man dear to his heart, even though he was not the very best at showing it.

  Harold had pointedly declined the suggestion, saying that he would serve the Brandon Dukedom until his dying breath. William had to admire such loyalty.

  “I have failed you, Your Grace,” Harold stated, bowing his head.

  William frowned. “You will have to be more specific than that.”

  Harold didn’t lift his head, the picture of contrite. “You ordered me to escort Lady Elizabeth to the carriage we have prepared but she will not comply.”

  William sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t expected this. The Elizabeth he’d brought home was very different from the girl he’d left behind. This new Elizabeth was far too weak to protest, even if she’d been bold enough to state that she intended to stay.

  Perhaps I should have taken her seriously.

  “Very well,” William sighed. “Where is she now? I will speak to her myself.”

  “She is at the stables, Your Grace.”

  “The stables?” William echoed, taken by surprise. Elizabeth despised horses. He blinked rapidly, pulling himself back together with a nod. “Thank you. I’ll take care of it.”

  Harold didn’t respond with anything but a sweeping bow as William walked by. He continued on his current path, but diverted away from the usual route he would take to go to the gardens and made his way to the stables instead. It was a small section of the estate, even though Brandon Estate was located on the very outskirts of London and so had quite spacious surroundings.

  His steps grew quicker the closer he got. Something curled within him, the image of Elizabeth’s determined—albeit a bit frightened—face and her clenched fists stark in his mind. She truly intended to fight him on this. William suddenly felt as if he’d subjected himself to the wiles of a lost puppy who planned on trailing him wherever he went.

  The thought should have bothered him more than it actually did.

  A fresh summer breeze wafted over his skin the moment he stepped outside and rounded the corner towards the stables. As the building came into view, the heat of the overhead sun bore down on his clothes, bringing dots of sweat to his temple. Stable hands milled around the entrance, carting hay and bringing pitchforks and other tools around. They all looked anxious at the sight of William but when he stepped into the stables and spotted Elizabeth, he could focus on nothing else.

  She was simply breathtaking. It seemed impossible—for a lady to have such ethereal beauty, such an innocent countenance, and be able to make his loins twist with such insane need. William lost his ability to breathe properly, to even speak. He stood there, taking in the woman in the plain grey gown as she looked apprehensively at the horse before her.

  Slowly, William drew closer. He glanced at the men nearby and jerked his head to the side, a silent order for them to leave. One by one, they filtered out of the stables, leaving William alone with Elizabeth. She was still staring at the hulking beast before her, biting her lip. She had a hand curled to her chest and William could tell that she was mustering up the courage to touch the stallion.

  Just when she’d finally gathered the strength to reach her hand out,
he spoke, “Why are you still here?”

  Elizabeth jumped with a gasp on her lips, her lovely brown eyes filled with surprise. The hand she was about to use to touch the horse was now pressed to her chest as she tried to catch her breath. “William! You frightened me!”

  William said nothing. He maintained the distance between them, hoping it would help settle his racing heart. He crossed his arms, waiting for her to explain herself.

  Elizabeth licked her lips and took one step away from the horse. The steed was completely unbothered by her presence. “I told you,” she murmured. “I do not plan on leaving. Not after we’ve been apart for so long.”

  “You do not have much of a say, Beth,” William growled.

  “I don’t?” she challenged, much to his surprise. How she managed to object with a such a fearful and timid sound was something he couldn’t fathom. “Do you plan on picking me up and throwing me into a carriage?”

  “If it comes to that,” he combatted easily, watching as her cheeks pinkened. She searched his face, as if trying to see if his threat should be taken seriously. Then she shook her head.

  “I won’t let you scare me,” Elizabeth stated. “I know you wouldn’t do such a thing. You are not a brute, even though you are trying so hard to make me think so.”

  William let out a rush out of air through his nose, suddenly frustrated beyond words. Most of it was directed towards himself, for feeling such happiness at her words when he knew he shouldn’t.

  He didn’t want to deal with this right now. Inheriting the Dukedom was enough stress as it was. William didn’t want to have to think about Elizabeth on top of it all.

  But before he could say the words, she said, “Why don’t we go for a ride, William?”

  William maintained his glower, hoping it wouldn’t slip when she looked up at him with those eager, brown eyes. “You do not like horses,” he said.

  Her lips tilted upwards. “You remember. Yes, you’re right. I am terrified of them and I do not think that fear is likely to go away any time soon. But I still would like to go riding with you.”

  “Why?”

  “To get to know the new you, of course,” she stated without hesitation.

  William didn’t know what to say for a moment. He could only watch as she tentatively reached out and patted the horse on the side. “I asked the stable hands to saddle this horse for me. They say he is the gentlest one you have, but I haven’t been able to gather the courage to climb aboard on my own just yet. Now that you are here, however, I think I can do it.” She looked back up at him. “Will you ride with me?”

  “No,” he growled, hating how difficult it was to say that word. “I’ll make sure that the carriage is still waiting for you. Go home, Beth, before you upset me further.”

  With that said, William turned and walked away. Each step was more difficult than the last, but he kept going, hoping that this time she would truly listen. He couldn’t afford the distraction and that was all Elizabeth was. A distraction, sent from his past life to remind him of all he’d lost and loved.

  Walk be damned, he turned out of the stables, intending to make his way back to the study to get started on the many matters that were before him. But then, he heard the thud of hooves behind him.

  William turned, surprised. And just at that moment, Beth went trotting by, clutching a riding crop tightly in her hand, her jaw set. She managed to drag the horse to a stop, wiping the terribly frightened look off her face to say, “It is quite convenient that you are located outside of London,” she murmured in a breathless voice. “I will not have to worry about going to Hyde Park for this ride.”

  She had quite a knack for making him speechless, it seemed. He watched fear flicker over her face, watched as her hands tightened on the reins and she pushed the horse forward.

  “Good God,” William muttered under his breath, whirling back towards the stables. In record time, he managed to saddle a horse, glancing up periodically to see Elizabeth’s figure disappearing into the vastness that surrounded the estate. He swung his legs over the horse and rode after her as if the devil himself was on his heels.

  “Are you out of your mind?” he bellowed after her, the rushing wind roaring in his ears. Or perhaps that was simply his anger—or rather the fear he felt watching her sit awkwardly on the horse.

  “Perhaps,” she said in a low voice, her eyes trained dead ahead as if she didn’t dare to look away. Her horse moved along nicely even though it was quite clear she wasn’t steering him correctly. “I did leave my home and went to a dangerous neighborhood in search of you, after all.”

  “Turn the horse around, Beth. Go back to the manor.”

  “Will you let me stay?” she asked, glancing at him.

  William gritted his teeth. “No.”

  She drew in a shaky breath and looked away. Without another word, she tapped the horse with her riding crop and the dutiful steed went on ahead. William muttered a curse under his breath and trotted back up to her side.

  “What is this going to prove?” he demanded to know. His usually cool frustration was fast growing out of control all because of this insane lady riding a horse she would not be able to control if things went south. “Do you intend on riding away from here altogether? Because if that is the case, then go right ahead. I am more than capable of sparing the horse.”

  “Your words hurt, William,” Elizabeth said. “I hope you know that.”

  “I couldn’t care less what hurts your feelings or not. You are not welcome here. Now, turn back and get off this damn horse!”

  She looked sharply at him, her cheeks coloring at his curse. William didn’t care to apologize, even though it went against everything he’d been taught as a youngster. Gentlemen didn’t dare to curse in front of ladies and it felt especially wrong before such a lady such as Elizabeth.

  “If you don’t care what happens to me, William,” she said after a moment, her voice still breathless, “then me being atop this horse should not bother you.”

  “You know very well that—” William broke off, clenching his jaw. He tried not to look at her, tried to ignore the way she swallowed harshly and how her brows knitted together in fear she couldn’t hide.

  Elizabeth stared back at him, as if she could read his mind. As if she knew he’d almost mentioned that day.

  It had been after a rainy morning, nearly fifteen years ago, when Elizabeth’s family had invited William and his mother to their country estate for the summer. Elizabeth had only been twelve then, eager to begin her first true lessons with riding. As was the custom back then, William had been by her side as a curious onlooker while her father had taken charge of the lessons. That day, what had begun with an overexcited Elizabeth standing by the windows waiting fervently for the rain to stop, had ended with a generally gentle pony growing frightened at the sound of a nearby shotgun and throwing Elizabeth from its back in a fit.

  She’d been unharmed physically, thanks to the quickness of a groom that had been standing nearby, but she’d been utterly terrified of horses ever since.

  The last time he’d seen her, that fear hadn’t diminished in the slightest. She’d stayed away from horses and thus, was not well-versed in how to ride one. He couldn’t deny that it made him anxious knowing that, if she was not careful, that incident fifteen years ago could happen all over again. But this time, it was bound to end badly.

  “If you are doing this because you know that I will not like it, then you are far craftier than I’d guessed,” William stated after a moment. “I would only prefer to not have to deal with having you break a bone, or worse, because you are so hell-bent on getting a rise out of me.”

  “I am not trying to upset you,” she murmured, shaking her head slowly. Then her jaw ticked, as if she’d clenched it tightly.

  “Then why are you doing this?” he barked, unable to contain himself any longer.

  Elizabeth flinched. She looked as if she was trying her best not to move too much. And her skin was growing more
pallid by the second. The dots of sweat on her temple had nothing to do with the overhead heat, he was certain.

  “I only want to be close to you again,” she mumbled. She gripped her riding crop so tightly that her knuckles grew white, but it still couldn’t stop her trembling. “You always enjoyed horse riding. I’d hoped that…that…”

  Elizabeth swayed. William’s heart flew into his throat when he saw her eyes roll to the back of her head, and without any concern for his own safety, he swung himself off his horse. She slid off her horse and right into his arms.

  “I’d hoped,” she continued to whisper, her eyes fluttering. “But I don’t think I’m strong enough…Not yet…”